Announcement of Sin and Judgment
The Lord's face is withdrawn
5:1 Hear this, you priests! Pay attention, you Israelites! Listen closely, O king! For judgment is about to overtake you! For you were like a trap to Mizpah, like a net spread out to catch Tabor.
This message was for the apostate northern kingdom of Israel. Hosea commanded that the priests of Israel, the people of Israel, and the house of the king of Israel were all to listen to this divine message from God. The priests were responsible for teaching the Word of God to the people, but they had refused to do so. The people were responsible for studying and applying the Word of God, but they had refused to do so. The king and his cabinet were responsible for following, applying, and enforcing the Word of God, but they refused to do so. Hosea asked these three groups to listen very closely to God's divine message from heaven. This message was not going to tickle their ears.
Mizpah was in the southwest region of Israel. Tabor was in the northeast region of Israel. This message included all of the people who lived geographically anywhere in Israel (south, west, north, and east).
It is important to note that America is currently going down this same road of liberalism as apostate Israel. Pastors are entertaining, but not teaching the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level. The people are electing men into office who pass ungodly legislation. Political leaders are passing same-sex marriage, abortion, transgender, anti-Israel, and other liberal laws which oppose the will of God.
5:2 Those who revolt are knee-deep in slaughter, but I will discipline them all.
“Those who revolt” were the priests, the people, and the political leaders of Israel. They had revolted against the theocracy of God which was divinely established and then forsaken in their own promised land. The end result of this revolt was that blood and violence had swept across their land.
America is in a similar situation today. America, like Israel, was given the Word of God, but it was rejected. Between 1880-1920 America adopted the liberal theology of Higher Criticism. Higher Criticism derived its origin from the liberal seminaries of Germany. This type of heretical theology taught that the Old Testament was not the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. It taught that the entire Old Testament was not written by Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, and the other Biblical authors. Instead, Higher Criticism taught that the Old Testament was written by different groups of priests (JEPD) during the Babylonian Captivity. This type of liberal theology was adopted by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. It was then absorbed into other European seminaries. America seminaries follow suit.
This type of liberalism spread into the churches of Germany, Europe, and America. The Jews were no longer seen as the chosen people of God. Liberalism always leads to violence. Liberalism has led to Imperialism, nationalism, militarism, fascism, World War I, communism, the Great Depression, Nazi-ism, the Holocaust, World War II, the Cold War, materialism, feminism, abortion, Vietnam, same-sex marriage, anti-Israel policy, same-sex marriage, terrorism, transgenderism, and the threat of Syrian refugees across a borderless America followed. The next stage is anarchy, civil war, invasion, cannibalism, and slavery. Violence is indeed the end result of liberalism.
5:3 I know Ephraim all too well; the evil of Israel is not hidden from me. For you have engaged in prostitution, O Ephraim; Israel has defiled itself.
Ephraim was God's pet name for the entire ten tribes of the northern kingdom (Israel). Ephraim was the largest of the ten northern tribes. She was not only large, but she was extremely prosperous as well. She should have used her strength and prosperity to lead Israel away from idolatry and back to the One True God. Instead, she used her size and prosperity to lead Israel into idolatry. She first established the golden calf idolatry system centers in both Beth-el (in the territory of Benjamin) and in Samaria (in the land of Ephraim).
Engaging one’s self in idolatry is spiritual prostitution against God. Since Israel was the wife of God, she was also guilty of adultery. According to the Mosaic Law, prostitution and adultery defiled the wife. This defilement called for capital punishment by stoning.
Like Israel, America has used her prosperity and influence to lead other nations into rebellion against their Creator. America has led the world in spiritual prostitution. The result is liberalism, drugs, same-sex marriage, abortion, transgenderism, socialism, anti-Israel foreign policy, pornography, and other unbiblical legislation which has been passed by godless political leaders who have been elected into office by an ungodly electorate.
5:4 Their wicked deeds do not allow them to return to their God; because a spirit of idolatry controls their heart, and they do not acknowledge the Lord.
Israel's cup of wrath had overflowed. She was so deep into idolatry that she would never return to God.
5:5 The arrogance of Israel testifies against it; Israel and Ephraim will be overthrown because of their iniquity. Even Judah will be brought down with them.
What is arrogance? Arrogance is the elevation of one's human opinion above the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God. Israel possessed the written Word of God, but she rejected it. She worshiped lifeless idols made of stone, metal, and wood. She worshiped the creation rather than the Creator. This type of arrogance testified against Israel.
The end result of this arrogance was that God was going to vomit Israel out of her land. This arrogance would also spread into Judah and infect her as well. Judah would also be vomited out of her land, but 120 years later than Israel. Assyria would take the northern kingdom out of her land. Babylon would take the southern kingdom out of her land. However, God would preserve a believing remnant of believers in Babylon and return them back into their land. God would have to preserve this believing remnant, so that He would not violate the Abrahamic Covenant.
The Futility of Sacrificial Ritual without Moral Obedience
5:6 Although they bring their flocks and herds to seek the favor of the Lord, They will not find him—he has withdrawn himself from them!
When Assyria and Babylon invade Israel and Judah, both Israel and Judah would become desperate. As a last resort, they would both pray to the One True God whom they had rejected. However, God would not answer their prayer. He would allow them to be taken into captivity.
It is important to note that many carnal Christians treat God in the same exact way. God is like an old spare tire that they hope that they never have to use. God is like an insurance policy that the buyer hopes that they will never have to use. Prayer is the last resort of the carnal Christian.
5:7 They have committed treason against the Lord, because they bore illegitimate children. Soon the new moon festival will devour them and their fields.
Israel committed treason against Jehovah. They were God's chosen people. They were chosen to become priests to the Gentiles. Instead, they rejected God and turned to worthless idols of wood, stone, and metal. They were worshiping demons through these lifeless idols.
Israel bore “illegitimate children” by not teaching them the Word of God. The parents were not applying the teachings of the Book of Deuteronomy. They were not continually teaching the Word of God to their children. They were not placing it on the doorposts. They were not teaching it as they sat in their homes. They were not teaching it as they walked together. They were not teaching it as they were going to bed at night. Because of the negligence of the parents’ not studying and applying Bible doctrine, the result was that the children did not know God.
During the new moon festivals the parents were performing sexual fertility rituals by worshiping Baal. Many illegitimate children were produced from these fertility rituals. However, the Israel parents would sacrifice these illegitimate children to the fertility gods. These types of fertility rituals would not increase the population of Israel. Instead, these ungodly fertility rituals would devour their population and their grain food supply.
The Prophet’s Declaration of Judgment
5:8 Blow the ram’s horn in Gibeah! Sound the trumpet in Ramah! Sound the alarm in Beth Aven! Tremble in fear, O Benjamin!
Israel was to blow her battle trumpets, because an invading army would come from Assyria. Assyria's attack route would come through Gibeah, Ramah, and then Beth-el. The tribe of Benjamin would first come to the rescue of Israel, but she would be too small, too scared, and too ineffective to take on the large Assyrian army.
5:9 Ephraim will be ruined in the Day of Judgment! What I am declaring to the tribes of Israel will certainly take place!
Ephraim was the largest and most prosperous tribe of the northern kingdom, but she would be completely destroyed.
The Oppressors of the Helpless Will Be Oppressed
5:10 The princes of Judah are like those who move boundary markers. I will pour out my rage on them like a torrential flood!
As the Assyrians were ravaging and enslaving the people of Israel, then the princes of neighboring Judah were using their political power to steal land from Israel. They were trying to expand the borders of Judah. This was a violation of the Mosaic Covenant. A curse came with this kind of land theft. God would judge Judah with a flood. This flood would occur 120 years later by the invasion of the large and ruthless Babylonian army.
5:11 Ephraim will be oppressed, crushed under judgment, because he was determined to pursue worthless idols.
The Hebrew word for “idols” is צָֽו (task), meaning commands. Ephraim followed her own human viewpoint “commands” and was destroyed.
The Curse of the Incurable Wound
5:12 I will be like a moth to Ephraim, like wood rot to the house of Judah.
The prophets often used colorful metaphors to describe literal judgments. Moths can destroy an entire wardrobe. Jehovah would become a moth to Israel. He would destroy Israel's entire wardrobe. As wood rots, so would Jehovah cause Judah to rot like wood. Judah would rot away in 120 years.
5:13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound, then Ephraim turned to Assyria, and begged its great king for help. But he will not be able to heal you! He cannot cure your wound!
Ephraim saw her sickness. Judah saw her incurable wound. Instead of going to the Great Physician, they both paid tribute to Assyria. However, Assyria would not be able to help either nation.
The Lion Will Carry Israel Off Into Exile
5:14 I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to the house of Judah. I myself will tear them to pieces, then I will carry them off, and no one will be able to rescue them!
Jehovah would become a lion to the northern kingdom. He would hunt them down, carry them back to his lair, and devour them. The northern kingdom would no longer exist. Assyria was the lion who would devour Israel.
Jehovah would become a lion cub to Judah. Lion cubs are cute and cuddly, but one day they would grow up and become a ferocious lion. This lion cub was Babylon. 120 years later, Babylon the lion cub would grow up and devour Judah.
No one would be able to protect Israel or Judah from the coming lion or the lion cub.
A remnant in the last days
5:15 Then I will return again to my lair until they have suffered their punishment. Then they will seek me; in their distress they will earnestly seek me.
After Israel and Judah were devoured, then Jehovah would return to His lair. However, Israel will seek Jehovah in the future. They will seek Jehovah at the end of the Great Tribulation. They will call out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord (Jehovah).” Then, the Lion will arise and restore Israel back into her land.